News Flash! Binge Drinking Causes Beer Bellies

You know what “they”  say about starting a weight loss program….talk about it…make it known that you are trying to shed a few so that others can watch your behavior and  help hold you to it…by way of encouragement or humiliation… depending upon the personality of your friends.  So I’m in…let the humiliation begin.  But as I prepare to say good-by to the beer belly, let’s at least acknowledge from whence it came. AskMen.com reports a beer belly comes from binging, not necessarily beer drinking. A study at University College London examined data from 28,594 middle-aged men and women, and found that beer drinkers aren't more likely to have abdominal fat than non-beer drinkers. (Good point…mine is clearly cheeseburger driven.)  People who drink 80 grams of alcohol in a single sitting once a month -- about a six-pack of beer or a bottle of wine -- average a half-inch bigger waistline than people who drink the same amount of alcohol spread over a week.

Binge drinkers didn't weigh more overall; they just had more abdominal fat (which, more and more studies are demonstrating, is a serious health risk in and of itself). The study found no correlation between drinking and body weight at all, at least in men (though it did have an effect for women). Sorry ladies…a little less wine and a little more spritzer!